It has been EXTREMELY hectic for me lately!! I’ve done something that I have wanted to for a long time; I’m an artist now, you guys!

I left my job last month. And to be honest I was pretty terrified. Actually, you can make that present tense, because I still am. With all the nonstop working and commission begging, being freelance has lost some of its luster.

If it were guaranteed it would definitely be easier. But at some point in my life I had to take a chance on me. I believe in myself and my talents.

So this picture… yeah, I’m doing characters for pay, lol. It’s not drudgery though. Actually, it’s kind of fun and exciting to do this one because its for a friend! Plus next month is Inktober, my favourite holiday.

On the face of it though is that I noticed that I still have people wanting me to draw for free. It’s weird. Do they think I shouldn’t eat or something? I can’t understand it. But being upset about it is pointless. I’m just going to keep doing my best.

To be honest, I’m another rung closer to where I want to be. My art matters to me. I’ll need to get a LOT more prolific in what is produced with no loss in quality.

Hopefully I can get picked up to do more covers and character designs. Wish me luck!

I know, I know… I haven’t been around much. The death of a loved one affects us all in predictable ways. Moving on…

I’ve caught up (almost) to all my commission based work! I’ve done well this year and look forward to next year being even better! But for now a few people have decided to let me put their images on my page. How nice!

Of course, some of my favorite projects are going to be in a slightly larger size this year. Now that I have a fancy tilting drafting table, it’s game on! Purchased with the proceeds of my work of course 😊.

I’m still doing black and white studies for people. It amazes me how much a simple drawing can reach others. And good news! Now that I know what my supplies and time are worth, I have a price index…

This weekend I did absolutely nothing. I drank a lot. Slept. Watched the Crossfit Games on tv. I’ve been really active for a while now and it was a welcome break.

It was something my dad told me once, “work smarter, not harder”. Sometimes we fall into the trap of believing that if we redouble our efforts we can improve our circumstances. “Always be on your grind” is the new catchphrase. It’s bullshit, of course. How much of that effort is simply wasted energy?

So instead I sat, rested and thought. I organized my ideas, set goals and made a plan. I’m giving myself six months to achieve my goals.

I have a lot of artwork, both digital and traditional. There’s no reason I shouldn’t be presenting it in the best light. Hell, last month alone I made 38 pieces!

So I took a weekend to be lay about and consider my near future. Today I’m doing my business plan. I’m going through my social media and determining which pieces got the most responses. That’ll help me find my audience. I’m also going to set up an artist page on Facebook. But first I need to make sure my chosen product is in its best light.

Thanks for being here while I built up a portfolio. But don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere! You guys are valuable to me. You help clear my head and allow me to talk about my life. I need that sometimes. So you get to continue being along for the ride.

Everyone wants to be appreciated, even if only on occasion. So being asked to do this picture for money was an added bonus!

I love doing anything that requires me drawing the human (or inhuman) body. The way light catches all of its surfaces and how it all combines to show motion and emotion fascinates me.

I spent a lot of time creating superheroes as a kid, learning anatomy the Marvel way, lol. When bodybuilding and wrestling came into my world, I studied the human frame, male and female and committed it to memory.

Honestly, I rarely saw He-Man growing up. So this was really fun to tackle; putting my own spin on Skeletor.

So if you can find a way to do exactly what you want and still be paid, that’s Nirvana, right?..